Dental Surgery Glasgow | Root Canal Treatment

What is Involved in Root Canal Treatment?

Root canal treatment is a procedure that is performed by dentists and is used to treat infection at the centre of the tooth, also known as the root canal system.

The infection is caused by bacteria that live in your mouth and this bacteria can sometimes invade the tooth. Root canal can happen after;

Tooth decay

Leaky fillings

Damage to teeth as a result of trauma, e.g. a fall

The root canal system can extend from the crown of the tooth to the end of the root. A single tooth can have more than one root canal, and this system also contains dental pulp.

When is Root Canal Treatment Necessary

You’re going to need dental surgery Glasgow if dental X-rays detect that the pulp of the tooth has been damaged by a bacterial infection. The pulp of the tooth will begin to die if there is a bacterial infection, this then allows bacteria to multiply and spread.

The symptoms of a pulp infection include;

Pain when eating or drinking hot or cold food and drink

Pain when biting or chewing

A loose tooth

As the infection progresses and the pulp dies these symptoms will often disappear and your tooth will appear healed. This just means that the infection has spread through the root canal system.

Further symptoms that you will eventually have include;

Pain when biting or chewing return

Swelling of the gum near the affected tooth

Pus oozing from the affected tooth

Facial swelling

The tooth becoming dark in colour

If you develop a toothache it’s important to go to your dentist because if the tooth is infected it won’t be able to heal itself.

If you just leave the tooth you can make the problem a lot worse. There may also be a chance that the root canal treatment won’t work if the infection becomes too serious in your tooth.

Antibiotics can’t be used to treat root canal infections.

How Root Canal Treatment is Performed

The bacteria need to be removed. This can be done in two ways;

Removing the bacteria from the root canal system (root canal treatment)

Removing the tooth (extraction)

Removing the tooth isn’t recommended unless absolutely necessary, this is because it is better to keep as many natural teeth as possible.

After the bacteria has been removed, the root canal will be filled and the tooth will be sealed with a filling or a crown. In most cases, the tooth will heal naturally and the inflamed tissue will ease on its own.

You will usually be put under local anaesthetic for root canal treatment. Due to this the procedure shouldn’t be too painful – and no worse than getting a filling.

Dental Surgery Glasgow

If you’re in need of dental surgery Glasgow, then don’t hesitate. The longer you leave it the worse it could get and you could end up losing one (or multiple teeth).